Sphinx 'may have had the face of a lion'

The Sphinx may originally have had the face of a lion, according a British team who claim to have solved one of history's most puzzling riddles.

Remodelling could explain why the head is out of proportion with the bodyPhoto: Getty

7:23AM GMT 09 Dec 2008

Egyptologists have long believed that the huge statue on the bank of the Nile depicted an ancient pharoah's head on the body of a lion.

The 65ft high, 260ft long limestone sculpture was thought to have been built in the image of a great ruler, probably King Khafra, around 4,500 years ago.

But the geologist Colin Reader, who has studied the erosion patterns around the Sphinx in Giza, is now claiming that it was actually constructed several hundred earlier, well before the nearby Great Pyramid.

He believes that the style of the Sphinx supports the view that it is older than the other tombs on the site, raising the possibility that the statue had been modified and embellished by later generations.

Dr Jonathan Foyle, a historical architect who worked with Mr Reader on his research, has suggested that the statue may have originally have had a different face – most likely that of a lion, as would fit with the rest of the statue.

This could explain why the current head is out of proportion to the body, with the face being re-modelled at a later date to take a more human form.

Computer experts have created an image of what the lion Sphinx may have looked like, which features in a Channel 5 documentary The Secrets of Egypt to be shown on Thursday at 8pm.